Democracy in Israel and France Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Democracy in Israel and France - Research Paper Example Free, Fair, Competitive Elections Democracy is a system that guarantees the freedom of expression and human rights in a country, as well as free and fair elections without discrimination, and as a result, protecting civil and political rights of citizens. In December 2011, Israeli vice president, Moshe Yaalon, declared that majority of the Arab countries were not ready for democracy. This is because of the previous deaths, which occurred in an attempt to fight dictatorship in these countries. The Israel vice president argued that democracy could be achieved through fair and free elections. However, the Palestinians argue that Israel call for democracy is hypocritical, mainly because the Israel government refused to accept the 2006 election results, which were perceived to be free and fair (dawn.com Para 5). As a result, Israel is hypocritical when it claims that it is democratic, in the election process. France is a Western European country, having a population of approximately 61million and is among the successful countries globally. It is a republic compromising of both presidential and parliamentary systems of government. It is considered democratic, with the parliament system being common; however, it has constitutional limits, which include the legislature’s power to bring down a government among others. Needless to say, France is democratic on how it conducts its elections. Freedom of the Press According to the world audit, Israel is rated as number 36, whilst France is at number 24 (World Audit 2011). France has an independent media, where freedom of communication and speech is valued as a human right. As a result, the French are allowed to speak, write, or print any article; however, they are held responsible for abuse of this freedom. France guarantees freedom of the press, which is supported by the 1881 Act on freedom of the press; however, it contains restrictions, which are aimed at balancing freedom of expression, citizen protection, and maintaining law and order (French embassy Para 2). The France law also punishes any acts of defamation and slander, as well as offensive speeches or contemptuous; therefore, the freedom of the press in France is conditional, and as a result, her democracy is flawed. Israel’s drop in press freedom was because of its press regulations on international media early in 2009. Journalists were arrested and even imprisoned, with